Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Grand Banquet #4
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In the world of Dragon Hunter Origin, which recognized multiple faiths, there were seven denominations collectively known as the Seven Great Divine Churches, maintaining close cooperative ties with one another.
Although each denomination already had its own Order of Knights, they also possessed a separate armed force that unified the strength of all Seven Great Divine Churches as one—this group's name was the Holy Knight Order.
However, in truth, the Holy Knight Order wasn't an organization boasting overwhelming power.
No matter how closely they cooperated, the individual denominations under the Seven Great Divine Churches were not fully unified.
Each denomination was reluctant to let talent and resources flow into the Holy Knight Order, naturally turning it into a hollow shell with only a good reputation.
[-That's the common misconception out there, right?]
[The Holy Knight Order spread that rumor themselves.]
'Pretty much.'
It was true that the Holy Knight Order was smaller in scale compared to the individual Orders of Knights possessed by each denomination, and it was also true that it lacked substantial combat personnel.
But there was one key difference from the public's perception: the Holy Knight Order was actually an elite group comprising the absolute best from the Seven Great Divine Churches.
[And at its pinnacle are the fourteen Executors.]
Each Executor was born with a sacred insignia known as a Stigma—a holy mark harboring unique powers.
[The Mark of the Wall, which creates a wall of light with transcendent defensive capabilities.]
[The Mark of Lightning, which freely wields the power of thunder and bolts.]
[The Mark of the Beast, which allows control over beasts, and so on.]
The fourteen Executors were the strongest swords of the Holy Knight Order, and by extension, the Seven Great Divine Churches—and standing at their apex was the Executor ranked number one, the Captain of the Holy Knight Order, Aiter.
[So, a small but insanely powerful group, huh?]
'Yeah, especially Aiter. She's a character who only appears in the lore... but she's basically considered the strongest in the world.'
In the fantasy world of Dragon Hunter Origin, it was possible for superhumans capable of taking on a thousand foes single-handedly to exist.
Even among such superhumans, she was at the peak, so her strength undoubtedly transcended imagination.
[But folks that high up usually aren't much help right away.]
[I hope that Aiter person is bald.]
[Then Master could just swallow up the Holy Knight Order whole.]
'No, even if she were bald, that'd be a bit...'
And originally, Aiter probably wasn't bald anyway.
Gender aside—whether man or woman—the name 'Aiter' alone suggested she was likely female.
[Well, this game's an 19+ adult game, right? High chance she's a woman.]
'I told you it's not an adult game.'
[It is 19+, though.]
'Ugh.'
The game had earned its 19+ rating due to its brutality, fighting fierce dragonkin to the death, but since it was a story they'd gone over multiple times, Luther held his tongue.
Anyway, that was the conversation he'd had with Integra about the Holy Knight Order before the grand banquet.
And now.
The moment Noel, the Knight of the Sky and ninth-ranked Executor of the Holy Knight Order, appeared before him, Integra spoke in a highly wary tone.
[Master, be careful.]
[Slit-eyed characters—especially the pretty ones—are industry rule number one: they turn out to be double agents or backstabbing traitors later on.]
Just how deep did Integra's prejudices and preconceptions run?
But even Luther felt a twinge of suspicion now that he was facing a genuine slit-eyed character.
'She never properly appeared in the original story either.'
Ash, the protagonist of the southern arc, was one of the Executors, but surprisingly, members of the Holy Knight Order barely showed up in the original story.
There were various reasons, but the biggest one was that, unlike now, both the west and south had been consecutively devastated in the original.
'In the original, Ash never had a proper chance to even contact the Holy Knight Order.'
After enduring all sorts of hardships in the south, she got swept up in the Wild Hunt upon heading east.
[Still, based on the lore we've heard so far, it's a massive organization, so they were probably featured heavily in the unreleased parts.]
'Probably.'
Luther himself had only played about three-quarters of Dragon Hunter Origin, not the whole thing.
'Anyway, the Knight of the Sky, Noel.'
He'd told Ash he had no intention of joining the Holy Knight Order for now, but he'd anticipated that someone else would show up soon enough.
And for good reason—Ash wasn't an ordinary person.
'She properly witnessed me slicing through the Sky Island.'
Moreover, Ash was affiliated with the Holy Knight Order.
They'd already figured out that what he'd used was one of the Eight Divine Treasures, so dispatching a new member after receiving Ash's report was an obvious next step—even a child could predict it.
'It just happened a bit faster than expected.'
With that, Luther took a deep breath and faced Noel with a confident expression.
"I'm Luther Lightseeker. And I am not the Archangel of Chess."
"But you are an angel, right?"
When Noel asked with a smile, Luther slowly nodded.
It wasn't anything he hadn't already told Ash anyway.
[A world where a memory-lost angel is taken seriously...]
Ignoring Integra's laced tone, Luther looked down at Noel, who continued with a smiling face.
"I've heard the gist from Ash already. You said you don't want to join the Holy Knight Order right now, correct?"
[As expected of a slit-eyed character—her speech is so annoying.]
When Integra said that while crossing her arms, Luther nearly laughed despite himself but held it back and nodded again.
"That's right. My memories are still incomplete, and I don't know much about the Holy Knight Order yet."
It could come off as slightly provocative, but Noel nodded as if unperturbed.
"Even I, as a member, think it's a pretty shady group, so I get it. I figured you need time. Truth is, your sudden appearance has caused quite a stir on our end too."
With that, Noel shrugged once, then leaned slightly forward toward Luther as she continued.
"The reason I'm here today is first for a greeting, and second to propose a deal."
Noel's eyes, which could almost be described as closed, opened just a fraction.
Luther furrowed his brow slightly and asked.
"A deal, you say?"
"Yes, a deal. Since we can't blindly trust each other, wouldn't it be better to build trust by exchanging this and that?"
The Holy Knight Order was a group of people, so it naturally had several internal factions.
It was just a hunch, but to Luther, Noel's proposal sounded less like the will of the entire Holy Knight Order and more like that of the faction she belonged to.
"You're already in possession of one of the Eight Divine Treasures. Oh, don't worry—I have no intention of taking it by force. Seeing it just reminded me of a good bargaining chip."
Aside from the 'Heavenly Armor' and 'Sun-Shooting Bow' held by the imperial family, all the other Eight Divine Treasures were missing in action.
Could the Holy Knight Order possibly hold a few of them?
Seeing Luther's interest piqued, Noel grinned in satisfaction and rummaged in her bosom.
"What we propose is this."
What Noel placed on her palm was a small square box—extremely familiar to both Luther and Integra.
[It's an older model, but definitely an Energy Cube.]
A compact computer storing vast amounts of energy and data.
"This contains a clue to one of the Eight Divine Treasures: the Sky Giant. If you get a little closer to the Holy Knight Order, we'll hand it over to you, Mr. Luther."
The phrasing was vague, but it amounted to the same as "join the Holy Knight Order."
Even if they weren't aiming for immediate enlistment, it could be a ploy to gradually manipulate him by luring him where they wanted.
'But the bait's too strong.'
A clue to one of the Eight Divine Treasures—and of all things, the Sky Giant in the east, where he had to head next.
Seeing Luther hesitate, Noel flashed an even deeper smile and said.
"Take your time thinking it over. The night is still young."
The Holy Knight Order.
An organization whose full picture remained unknown.
But just from their attitude toward him, knowing he was an angel, it was clear.
It might not be the will of the entire Holy Knight Order, but Noel's faction at least intended to use him as a pawn.
'They plan to hook me with the Eight Divine Treasure first, then reel me in bit by bit...'
Was there a way to snag just that clue and bolt?
That was when Luther thought that.
Integra, who had been silent until now, suddenly smiled most alluringly and said.
[Energy Cube remote access successful.]
[Firewall bypassed.]
[Hacking initiated.]
'Huh?'
Startled, Luther instinctively turned to Integra, who flashed a cuter-than-ever smile and winked playfully.
* * *
About 10 minutes later, in the garden.
Left alone, Noel stared blankly at the Energy Cube in her hand.
'What? What just happened?'
The angel from Ash's report.
Luther Lightseeker's first impression was one of naivety.
And for good reason—he'd been standing alone on the terrace, face flushed, hesitating as if debating whether to kiss or not.
'Alone, I say again.'
What was that?
Practicing a kiss after confessing to a girl, all by himself?
Moreover, his behavior after she appeared was odd too.
He'd stand still, then nearly burst into laughter and twitch, or suddenly look away elsewhere.
If he was a memory-lost angel, maybe his head was a little broken too.
'That's why I thought he was an easy mark...'
The atmosphere had even felt halfway won.
He'd looked so deeply troubled too.
Hook him with the Cube, draw him in, then slowly dye him in our colors. Use the angel's power to find the Eight Divine Treasures.
But suddenly, Luther's attitude shifted.
He'd groaned and agonized for over five minutes, then at one point, turned away as decisively as a sword cut, declaring he had no intention of doing so.
'Apart from the naivety, once he decides, he pushes through with stubborn resolve?'
Narrowing her brow, Noel pocketed the Energy Cube and gazed toward the banquet hall where Luther had disappeared.
Regrettable, but it seemed time to withdraw for today.
And at the same time, in a secluded corner of the banquet hall.
[Data copy successful.]
[From what I see, the firewall hadn't been opened since it was sealed—first time in ages.]
[That slit-eyed girl definitely hasn't accessed the Cube's contents yet.]
'Whoa, so we're the only ones who know?'
[Probably. She knew it was a clue to the Sky Giant, but hadn't opened the contents yet. Maybe she even planned to learn them through you, Master.]
'Then it really is a faction thing.'
It would be normal for the Holy Knight Order's resources to decode an Energy Cube.
[Anyway, commencing data analysis.]
[I was worried about the sparse clues since we only knew it was in the east, but info just rolled in.]
'No kidding, talk about lucky.'
[Hee hee hew.]
[Master, whose credit is this again?]
'Thanks to my competent, beautiful, great-bodied, and perfect-personality Support AI.'
At Luther's button-mashing stream of mindless praise, Integra blushed while beaming with joy.
[But Master, do you know what?]
'What?'
[It's been 15 minutes.]
Whispering softly, Integra twisted her body shyly and averted her gaze, and Luther swallowed dryly without thinking.
And at the same time, elsewhere.
The upper echelons of the Hecatoncheires were gathering in one place.